Updated: Dec. 26, 2023, 7:34 p.m. | Published: Dec. 26, 2023, 3:24 p.m.

By Paul Liotta | pliotta@siadvance.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — One of the city’s largest public sector unions broke with a Staten Island councilmember last week after her vote on a controversial police bill.

In a scathing statement to members, Vincent Vallelong, president of the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA), called out Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore) for her vote in favor of a piece of police transparency legislation commonly known as the “How Many Stops Act,” which passed Wednesday.

Hanks, who chairs the Council’s Committee on Public Safety, cruised to re-election in November over a third-party candidate, and had previously won the support of the SBA. That won’t be the case going forward, according to Vallelong’s statement.

“Councilwoman Hanks sold herself as being pro law enforcement when she was soliciting union endorsements, but it is now obvious that her promises were devoid of truthfulness or transparency,” the head of the 13,000-member union said. ”As the Chair of the Public Safety Committee, her support of this idiotic bill shows that she actually has little knowledge of police work and even less regard for the safety of the public. She is just another politician who speaks from both sides of her mouth depending on which way the political winds are blowing.”

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, one of the city’s most liberal elected officials, was the main backer of the bill that passed the Council with 35 votes — a majority that protects it from a possible veto by Mayor Eric Adams, an opponent of the legislation.

Most of the Council’s more conservative members either abstained or voted against the bill, including Councilman Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore) and Councilman David Carr (R-Mid-Island) — two of the nine votes against the legislation.

District Attorney Michael McMahon penned an op-ed last week criticizing the How Many Stops legislation, but a spokesperson said he would not like to comment specifically on Hanks’ vote.

While Hanks isn’t considered a leftist in Staten Island’s political circles, the vote last week marked one of her career’s most significant breaks with her local Republican colleagues.

A resident of Stapleton, Hanks said she understood the concerns of police officers, who mostly complained about an increased paperwork load in regard to the legislation, but that her support for the law was about balancing that with concerns from communities like the one she calls home.

“For folks who do not live in neighborhoods where there is an excess and a history of violence, the ‘How Many Stops’ bill may seem counterproductive. However, as Chair of the Committee on Public Safety and the representative of the 49th District, my family and I live in such a neighborhood,” she said Tuesday. “We unfortunately and statistically will have more interactions with police – whether we are the bad actors or not. This reporting bill is for the hardworking families who live in these communities that have dealt with both the violence and the enforcement. That is who I voted for on Wednesday.”

TRACKING ALL POLICE-PUBLIC INTERACTIONS

Under the bill, officers will be required to track their investigative interactions with the public, and the NYPD will have to issue a public statistical report quarterly starting October 2024.

Opponents of the legislation tried to frame the bill as requiring officers to track every single interaction they have with members of the public, but the language of the legislation specifies investigative encounters, while excluding everyday casual conversations.

The bill also requires the NYPD’s quarterly report to include detailed information about the nature of each interaction, including the race, gender and age of the person stopped, the reason for the stop, and the officer’s subsequent actions, like whether they issued a summons or used force.

“Police Officers are committed to keeping the people of the city safe, and it is extremely disappointing that Councilwoman Hanks did not not have the mettle to stand up for what was right at such a crucial time,” Vallelong said of the councilwoman’s vote. “It has become clear that she is just another elected official that cannot be trusted to tell the truth or put the safety of her constituents ahead of her political ambitions.”

The How Many Stops bill passed the council with a series of other controversial bills opposed by conservatives, including a ban on solitary confinement that Hanks also voted in favor of.

LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS BACKED HANKS IN PAST

Previously, the councilwoman had won the support of multiple NYPD unions — including a 2017 endorsement from the Police Benevolent Association when she tried to unseat her predecessor, Councilwoman Debi Rose, in a Democratic primary.

Hanks won the traditionally Democratic-stronghold seat over Republican Patricia Rondinelli with about 59% of the vote in 2021, so it remains unclear how much of an impact a break with the city’s police unions will have on her next re-election campaign in 2025.

Regarding her How Many Stops vote last week, Hanks said her decision came as a way of balancing her concerns about police transparency with her respect for law enforcement.

“My foremost priority remains the safety of all citizens, recognizing the inherent complexities in achieving both transparency and effective policing. This decision underscores the importance of acknowledging the multifaceted nature of the challenge at hand. I firmly believe that a comprehensive and thoughtful solution is necessary — one that upholds transparency while preserving the effectiveness of law enforcement and nurturing positive relationships within our communities,” she said. “My grandfather, a retired NYPD Sergeant, who instilled my deep honor and respect for those who wear the uniform, would have agreed with me.”